hol·o·caust

For the past few months I’ve been taking a class on the Holocaust at school, taught by Professor Lawhon whose father was a liberator. Many have wondered why and it wasn’t until now that I realized my answer. It’s happening today. On the same scale? Millions being killed for what they believe? No, not millions. Pieces of millions, yes.

We were assigned to do a group project for the end of the semester and my group decided to do a comparison of the Holocaust to our world today. Do your research.

It’s standing at your door.

You complain about the rain and for some that is as bad as it gets

Try being sent to work to be humiliated, spirits broken, until you’ve reached death

Try traveling through hell, searching for one sliver of hope

Watch your family starved, beat and diseased and I dare you, try and cope

They woke up each morning, prodded and crumbling

Their tears laced the path of lost dreams and faltering faith

Torn by a man who wanted things HIS way

Even death didn’t stop the disrespect

Bodies were thrown like castoff dolls into the dirt

Labeled as skeletons before Earth even had time to unravel their bones

Buried like animals, piled like bricks

No goodbye for their loved ones still surrounded by living death

And we silence the violence hitting us right now

Through ignorance and reckless pride

What will it take for us to step out?

You sit there, comfortable, feet placed on the ground.

Shoulders relaxed, head held up proud

Food in your stomach, dinner planned out

The violence seems distant, so far and removed from our grounds

Please open your eyes friends, it’s right here, right now

Turn on your TV and it’s entered your home

Your children will have access to more than you know

Hours of gaming, stained, spent reading what they’ve wrote

You think you’re not affected but really you vote just to ignore the issues bombarding our homes

The words will be imprinted in each of our heads

For words are infections, certain to spread

So what is the difference in our goals today?

When we poke fun at or put down the neighbor we look at but don’t see

You think violence stems from that smile you gave away?

No, it stems from the branches rooted and growing from dark rain

The idea that ‘me’ is as important as it gets

Once written, it’s done

Words seep from your mouth until they’ve formed the next gun

I’m no better than Hitler if my goal is to shame

I’ve put myself on a pedestal, like I’m superior in some way

Even just one already broke and hurting

And the lyrics to a song titled ‘Me’ shove them further down

The hatred consumes us, but we look away

Enough is enough!

Stand up and finally say yes to living a life of faith

Faith in your neighbor; that they are more that what you see when you look in the mirror